Relics
by blakes8th
Summary: Faces from the past are coming to shatter a peaceful community.
1. Chapter 1

Relics

Disclaimer: I don't own Blake's seven or any of it's characters.

Rating: T, for some violence and very bad language.

Set : About fifteen years after Gauda Prime.

Note: I have written numerous stories for New Tricks, but have suffered a massive and terminal computer breakdown which has lost most of my stories in progress/unfinished, so while I get my technical wizard (nephew) to try to retrieve what is left of my fried hard drive, I'm reverting to one of my first loves on a borrowed laptop.

This is the first of three parts.

/

"Fucking Sand!"

Marcos Tann kicked at the offending material angrily, sending a shower of golden particles into the air, which blew straight back at him, making him cough and splutter, he heard a giggle from behind him and closed hid eyes. "Sam, I didn't hear you." He tried to regain some dignity as he turned to face the blond girl, just a year older than his so mature sixteen years. She grinned at him, showing her perfect white teeth, blonde hair tumbling to her shoulders, Marcos believed that she must be the most beautiful woman in the universe, not that he had seen any of the universe, he'd only ever known this dull, boring and extremely sandy backwater planet.

"Yeah, I guessed. So what's eating at you today." She walked up next to him, ruffling his unruly brown hair. He made a face. "Sorry, you still had sand in it."

"So what's new. There's always sand in it, the stuff gets everywhere. I hate sand."

"Pity we live on a desert planet then."

"Live! We don't live, we exist! I mean, there are six of us on this rock under the age of twenty, we mine, and we farm and we try to trade with the other colonies in this hole of a system. Our colony hasn't changed since the first outpost was set up forty years ago. One hundred and eight people, that's our population!"

"One hundred and nine."

"What?"

"One hundred and nine, Mina's baby is due any time."

"Okay, one hundred and nine. Don't you ever dream of meeting anyone new? Someone who hasn't known us since we were born."

"Yeah, sometimes. But you know, this place isn't so bad..."

"Yes it is! I mean, there's nothing, not even any wildlife, this place is so boring even evolution couldn't be bothered." He moaned. Sam laughed.

"There's the creepers."

"Oh yeah, 'cause they are so cute and cuddly, at least they might be if it wasn't for the fact that they are twelve foot long spiders with dozen or so pincers on their bellies which pick the flesh from your bones!"

"Urg, don't be disgusting! Besides, you know they don't kill, they just scavenge."

"Still, you get what I mean. I want to see something else." He turned and sat on a crate.

"This place has got something a lot of places haven't got."

"Name one thing!"

"Freedom! We are free here. No federation."

"Yeah, I suppose. Even they can't be arsed to come here. But I've been thinking about getting out, there's a free trader set to bring supplies in next week, I may ask him if he has any jobs."

"Leave! Seriously! What about your Mum, and Frey?"

"They'll be alright, Mum has Val now, and Frey is nearly twelve, at least she gets on with Val."

"Is that the reason you want to leave, because your Mum has a new husband?" Sam scowled at him, Marcos shrugged. "Why do you hate the guy so much, I think he's nice?"

"I don't 'hate' him. But...I don't know. Frey thinks he's the greatest and Mum acts like we're one big happy family..." Marcos moaned. Sam smiled softly.

"You know, some people would love to have that" She whispered. Marcos looked down at his feet, a guilty feeling hitting him in the pit of his stomach. Sam's parents had been killed when she was three and she had come to New Haven and been raised by her grandparents. Her grandmother had died just two years later, Sam had only ever had her grandfather. He smiled softly.

"Sorry. I didn't mean it like that, it's just that, well it's like dad never even existed..."

"Marcos, I know how you missed him, but remember, he left you. No-one forced him to take a job on a star liner, or to get hooked up with one of the ships casino croupiers half his age. Frey was just a baby when he left your mum to cope on her own. She doesn't owe him anything, and neither do you."

"I know. But what if he comes back?..."

"What if he does? I don't think Val will step aside without a fight..."

"Val! Fight! I don't think so. The guy hasn't got a tough bone in his body, Frey could take him." Marcos exclaimed, Sam laughed.

"He's just quiet, you don't really know what he's capable off."

"That's just it, he turned up here about seven years ago, no history, nothing! I wish I knew something about him."

"He spoke to the council when he first arrived, and they were happy with whatever he told them, so the rest is none of our business."

"It is my business! He's living with us, with my mum and little sister!" Marcos groused. "He's older than Mum, I know that..."

"So? Now your looking for reasons not to like him." Marcos was quiet for a moment.

"Maybe, but I feel like I'm just not needed around here anymore. That's why I want to get out, find something more."

"What about me then, I'm your friend." Sam said, feeling a little bit hurt.

"I know, so come with me." He blurted. Sam smiled at him. He sighed. "I know, it's just talk, we both know I'm not going anywhere." Sam linked her arm through his.

"Come on, lets get back, Ric had something to tell us."

"Oh, great, I can't wait."

"Oh hush, he's alright."

"I think the word your looking for is arsehole, just like his father."

"I've never understood why you two don't get on."

"Lets see, maybe it's because he's two years older than me and thinks that gives him the right to order me about, or maybe it's because his dad runs the mine and that gives him the right to order me about, or maybe it's because his mum owns 'the stopover' and that give..."

"Ok, ok, I get the picture." They approached the outskirts of the colony, which the original settlers had called New Haven, a collection of prefab buildings adapted with whatever materials could be salvaged and bartered from passing traders made up home. The original ship which had brought them here had completely failed on landing and had been turned into a sort of bar/cafe/hotel and had been renamed 'The Stopover' and catered to the constant flow of traders, smugglers and assorted space flotsam that used New Haven as a stepping stone to somewhere more interesting. The two teenagers made their way inside, across to the slightly older boy standing by the bar.

"Hey Ric." Sam called.

"It's about time. Where have you been Marcos?"

"What's it got to do with y..."

"We're here now. What's your amazing news?" Sam interrupted before another argument could break out. They sat down at a table.

"My Dad is going to put this place on the map."

"What, 'the stopover'?"

"No! New Haven. He's found something, and it's going to make us rich and famous."

"There is nothing in the universe that could make this place famous." Marcos grouched. Ric smiled.

"Yeah, there is. Dad found derillium!" Ric announced, the other two teens sat up.

"Derillium! You are shitting me!" Marcos exclaimed.

"How much?" Sam gasped.

"Just a few pieces so far, but he says that there is a whole vein of it."

"Wow, derillium. That's...That's..."

"Incredible!" Ric smiled smugly. "I know. We are going to be rich."

"You do realise that you Dad run's the mine. He doesn't actually own it. Anything that comes out of there belongs to the whole community." Marcos reminded him.

"Yeah, whatever!" He shrugged. "I'm sure Dad will see everybody alright."

"Ric! Come and help me, you can catch up with your friends when the bars shut!" A woman's voice called. Ric pulled a face.

"I won't be waiting tables for much longer." He groused. He turned back to the younger two.

"Dad's meeting with some freighter pilots later, they're bringing some more gear to get the stuff out. You'll see, this place will be the centre of the universe, once word gets around that we have derillium, everyone will want to come here!" Ric crowed as he wandered over to the other side of the bar and started picking up empty glasses and plates. Marcos and Sam stood and slipped back out into the harsh sunlight.

"Wow. Derillium." Sam stated. "Who'd have thought it."

"I'm as surprised as you. I didn't think Noone would ever find anything interesting in that mine of his, he can barely find his arse with his own hands."

"Marcos! That's mean." Sam laughed. She saw the glint in his eyes. "Okay, maybe it's a little bit true, but it's still mean!"

They walked through the compound, the scattering of houses and workshops had no real pattern as the colony had grown up through time. Small domes marked the doorways into the living and work areas which were mostly underground, where it stayed slightly cooler during the scorching day, but held the heat when the temperature fell at night.

"Marc!" The teens saw a young girl with long brown hair waving at them, she jogged up to them. "Mum sent me to find you. Dinner is ready. Hey Sam."

"Hey Frey, how are you doing?"

"I'm okay. There's plenty if you want to join us."

"Thanks for the offer, but Poppa will have gotten us something. I had better get going. See you guys later." She waved and walked away, disappearing into the maze of sand topped domes. Marcos turned and followed his sister. They were quiet for a while until Frey turned and smiled up at her brother.

"Have you told her yet?"

"What?"

"That you love her."

"Shut up squirt."

"Why not? It's obvious..."

"Frey! Sam and I have known each other since we used to have nap time together..."

"And?"

"You don't know what you're talking about."

"Uh huh."

"Shut up, I don't want to talk about it! Last one home's creeper fodder!" He took off into a run.

"Hey! That's not Fair!" Frey ran after him.

They didn't stop until they reached their dome. They burst into the kitchen area where a woman stood, placing a large dish on the centre of the table.

"Hey, slow down! What's the rush?" Mel Tann was a beautiful woman in her early forties, her wavy brunette hair was caught up into a simple ponytail, she smiled as her children came to a sudden halt in front of her.

"Marcos raced, but he cheated!" Frey groused. Her mother smiled.

"You'll get him next time." She assured her youngest. She turned to her son. "Could you go to the garage and tell Val that the foods on the table..."

"Aww, Mum! Can't Frey go.."

"No, you cheated so I'm asking you."

"Why is he in the garage anyway?" Marcos grumbled.

"The flyer blew another turbo this morning. Val is replacing it."

"Another turbo! I only put one in a week ago."

"The other side went while I was bringing the field samples back. Go and give him a shout."

"Alright, alright. I'm going." Marcos made his way through the dwelling, past the living area and bedrooms to a door at the end which led to a workspace with a rolling door the other side. His mothers open backed flyer sat in the middle of the space, several of its panels were off, revealing the inner workings of one of the engines at the rear. A man in his early fifties stood over it, fiddling with the complex mechanism. Val Kain was average height, his hair was close cropped and had once been dark but now showed signs of grey at his temples. He had sharp features and piercing brown eyes, Marcos observed the man, his eyes catching the burn scar which ran down his neck, starting just below his jaw on the left hand side disappearing behind the high collar Val always seemed to wear. He started slightly when the man's soft voice broke into his thoughts.

"Marcos? Everything alright?"

"Yeah, sorry I was miles away. Mum asked me to tell you that the foods on the table."

"Oh. Right. I'm very nearly done. Just the panels to put back. Pass me that one up."

They worked in silence for a few minutes putting the vehicle back together.

"There. All done until next time." Val stated. Marcos nodded.

"That's six turbos in two years."

"This type of flyer was never designed for this kind of terrain. It's more of a light goods carrier, more suited to the domes and more industrialised areas. The sand gets drawn through the air intakes and it wears down the bearings. If we could fit some kind of baffle to the inlets we might be able to extend the life of the turbos."

"Maybe. But if we restrict the flow of air, the condenser will overheat."

"And that is the problem." Val smiled. Marcos shrugged. "Come on, before your Mother comes after us." He put the tools back on the bench, Marcos found his eyes drawn to the scar again. He had always wondered about it but in all the time he had known Val, he had never felt brave enough to ask.

"Val can I ask you something?" The man turned and smiled wryly.

"I wish you would. I can tell your not comfortable with me being around..." He shrugged "Ask away, if I can answer, I will." Marcos took a breath.

"What happened...to your neck?" He saw the man withdraw slightly. "Sorry, it's none of my business..."

"Yes it is." He looked up to see Val looking at him. "It is your business, I understand that. But it's something I find difficult to talk about. It's a relic from my past, a life I left behind..."

"Marcos! Val! Come on or it will be cold." Mel's voice rand through the corridor. She appeared at the door. She looked slightly worried for a moment.

"Just finished love." Val assured her. "I'll just get washed up." He left mother and son together.

"Marcos?" Mel questioned. Marcos looked at his feet.

"I asked Val about his scar.." He admitted softly before looking up at his mother. "Mum, I know you love him and that he's here to stay, but ….what do you know about him...I mean he could be anybody..." Mel silenced her son with a finger on his mouth.

"Shhh sweetheart. Don't worry. Val told me all about his past when we first started going out. I know who he is and where he is from. He's hidden nothing from me but it's not for me to tell his story. I'll speak to him later."

"I just don't want you to get hurt again, after dad..."

"Left us. You don't have to be afraid to say it. Your Dad was not strong enough to cope with this way of life. He was quite happy to live under the rule of the federation, he didn't understand my need to stay away from their cruelty, and the fact that freedom is hard work. In the end we were different people. He won't come back."

"I know. Why do you hate the federation so much?"

"My father grew up in the domes on earth. The cruelty and oppression he witnessed was horrific. And as a young man he and his brother got a job in the air recycling plant. They found out about the gas being used to keep the population docile and his brother tried to sabotage the system. He was caught and as a punishment he was modified."

"A mutoid! Grandpa's brother!"

"That's right. Your grandfather left earth and came here with the first colonists."

"Wow. I never knew." She ruffled his hair.

"You know, your grandfather would be proud of you, you're very like him."

"I'll try to be nicer to Val." Marcos muttered. Mel laughed.

"I don't need you to be nicer to him. I just need you to give him a chance. Now come on, let's eat." They went back and joined the others and sat around the table. They ate and chatted, Frey regaling them about her schooling and what the other two children in the colony had been up to.

"So, what have you been up to?" Mel asked her son. Marcos shrugged.

"I helped Taro clean the landing pads, then hung out with Sam for a bit. We went to the stopover and Ric told us about the big find."

"What big find?" Mel asked puzzled.

"Noone found derillium in the mine. Hasn't he told you?"

"No he hasn't. When did this happen?"

"Not sure. Ric said he had found a few pieces but there was a vein, was harping on about how everyone was going to be rich and that he was going to make New Haven famous..."

"There's no derillium here." Val looked puzzled. "The formation of derillium crystals needs a very precise set of conditions of which this planet has none."

"What's so special about derillium." Frey asked.

"Derillium is a crystal which is about a thousand time harder than diamond. It has a very complex molecular structure which makes it a very efficient material to use for computer chips. It's far more powerful than Aquatar. Unfortunately the dust which is a by-product of its processing when mixed into a solution creates a liquid so potent it makes shadow look like candy." Val looked up and saw the family staring at him. He shrugged "I've been around the block a few times."

"Ric said Noone is meeting with some freighter pilots to get some new equipment in." Marcos said between mouthfuls. Val stopped and looked at him.

"When?"

"When what?"

"When is Noone meeting the pilots?"

"Later today Ric said." Mel looked at Val, she could see the worry on his face.

"What's wrong?"

"I think it's a very bad idea to put the word out that there is derillium is here." He stood, "We need to get the council together."

"Now?"

"Yes, this is bad news." He stopped and looked at the worried face on his step-daughter. "We should talk it all over before any one comes to find the derillium." He added , trying to keep the worry from his voice. Mel caught on and nodded.

"I'll call round, we should get everyone together at the stopover." She turned to her children. "I want you two to stay here..."

"Mum! I was going to see Theo and Juni over at the garden sphere."

"Okay, but I want Marcos to go with you..."

"What? Mum!" Marcos started to complain, Val cut him off.

"Please. I have a very bad feeling about this. Marcos please could you look after your sister and the younger ones. Call Sam and Ric and get them to join you." Val could see the young man bristle. "I'm not telling you, I'm asking you. I've seen what greed can do to innocent people." He whispered, so that Frey wouldn't hear. "Noone may have wanted to put this place on the map, but in reality he may have placed us bang in the middle of a target." Marcos regarded the older man for a moment and nodded.

"Come on, lets go." He told his sister. As the young ones left Mel turned to the man in front of her. "You're scared." She observed slipping her hand into his. He squeezed it gently.

"I came to this place because I wanted to disappear, be forgotten. I'm afraid that this may change everything." He leaned in and kissed her softly. "I don't want to go back." He whispered.

"Lets get to the stopover, we can call everyone while we are on the move."

A few minutes later they were in the flyer, heading towards the centre of the colony, Mel used the communicator on the vehicle to gather the nine council members to the stopover. When they arrived they were met by several who had already arrived, all asking what the big emergency was about. The remaining members arrived and they gathered around a table. Val stood.

"I'm sorry for the abrupt call, but I think we may have trouble brewing on the horizon."

"What do you mean." The council chairman and elected head of the community, Gul Farn asked. A huge bear of a man, his deep voice and dark complexion commanded attention. Several voices muttered for Val to go on.

"Earlier this afternoon, it was brought to my attention that derillium had been found in the mine, though I wonder when you were going to get around to mentioning this tiny fact, Noone." Val turned his suddenly hard glare on the man sitting opposite. Noone squirmed under the sudden scrutiny.

"Derillium!" Farn exclaimed "When, how?"

"When, I'm not sure. The how is even less clear, as we know for a fact that this planet has never yielded anything but metal ore." Val turned to Noone. "What's going on?"

"I...I..Don't know what you mean." He blustered.

"So your son is a liar then.."

"No! Don't you dare talk about my boy like that..."

"Noone, what have you done?" A woman's voice cut in. Riva, Ric's mother stood watching. "Where is the derillium?"

Noone stood and reached into the pocket of his jacket. He pulled out a small black bag and handed it to his wife, she opened her hand and shook the contents into her palm. Three orange glittering stones about one centimetre across sat there. Val picked one up and held it up to the light.

"These have been processed, there's no way they have come straight out of the ground." He turned to Noone. "Where did you get them?" The other man was silent for a moment.

"Noone, please." His wife pleaded. He sighed.

"That old cruiser which was junked by it's pilot when it blew it's plasma coils. I gave him a hundred credits for it. I started stripping it out, and I found the crystals down the back of one of the seats in the passenger cabin."

"Why did you say you mined them? Three crystals this size would fetch at least thirty thousand credits on the open market.." Val observed. Noone shrugged.

"I thought that if I could convince people that there might be more, they would come to Haven, bring more custom to the stopover, more trade to the colony."

"And when no more crystals came out of the mine? What were you going to tell them?" Farn Asked.

"I hadn't really thought that far ahead. Maybe a small mine collapse in that area. I don't know..."

"Do you have any idea what you have done?" Val hissed. "Did you tell the pilots about the crystals?"

"I had to, they wanted to see proof."

"Damn!" He paced away for a second. One of the older council raised his hand slightly.

"Surely if we tell them it was a mistake..."

"That's not how it works." Tel Ross interrupted. Tel was Sam's Grandfather and one of the oldest of the colonists. "Tell them Val." He nodded to the younger man. Val sighed.

"Freighter pilots have nothing to gain from a few crystals, however information is priceless. They could have sold the whereabouts of the 'derillium' mine to either 'private traders' otherwise known as organised criminals, who will come here with armed men and put guns to our heads and make us mine for our lives..."

"Or..?" Farn asked.

"...Or they may have sold the information to the federation, who will come here with armed men, put guns to our heads, and make us mine for our lives..." He shrugged, "Of course, they would probably sell the information twice, to as many people as possible, which is why they will try to get here as soon as possible. We don't have much time..."

"You're just scaremongering!" Noone demanded. Val turned a glare on him, it was a look which no-one had seen in many years.

"If I had wanted to scare you, I'd have given you the third and most probable scenario."

"Which is?" Farn asked.

"The Feds, who will not want to share, send an extermination squad, then take the derillium when we are all dead."

"Now that's just stupid! Why would they?..." Another council member started, Tel stopped him.

"They just would. I've seen it." The old man closed his eyes.

"How long do we have to decide what to do?" The council man was silenced by the roar of an engine as a space ship passed overhead.

"I think we are out of time." Val whispered. "Everybody, get as many people as possible, make for the whispering caverns...As quick as you can!" He started moving, he took Mel to one side. "Get the children from the domes, go to the cavern at the far end of Pullen's ravine, I'll meet you there."

"What about you..."

"I'll be alright, I'll join you as soon as I can." He leaned in and kissed her. "Now, go. Tel you should go with her..."

"No. I ran so many years ago. I am an old man now, far too old to run anymore, this is my home. Mel, look after Sam for me. I need to do what I can to slow them down." He turned and walked from the stopover in the direction of the landing pads. Val turned and saw the council all standing, looking torn.

"What are you doing?"

"Maybe we should try to talk to whoever it is." Farn explained.

"I know those pilots, they won't have sold me out." Noone stated.

"We should get everyone safe, then ask." Val pointed out. Riva touched his arm gently.

"Do you know where Ric is? She asked. He smiled softly.

"The youngsters are at the domes, Mel has gone for them." He assured her. "Riva, spread the word, tell people to take cover." He turned and watched as eight of the council members left to follow Tel. He closed his eyes, feelings which he had suppressed for over a decade resurfaced. He had recognised the sound of those engines, the unmistakable growl of a Federation troup carrier was a sound he had hoped that he would never hear again. "Round up as many people as you can, then hide. Riva, hide and no matter what, don't show yourselves." He turned and sprinted from the bar, heading towards his workshop, as he got to the door, he heard the whining of an engine, he turned and his stomach churned as Mel pulled up in her flyer, only the three youngest children and the very heavily pregnant dome supervisor with her. She looked panicked.

"Val! Marcos, Sam and Ric weren't there! Frey said they heard the engines..."

"Shhh, I'll find them. Go, Go to the cavern. Here take these..." He took some boxes from his workshop and put them in the flyer. "You'll find some supplies and things in the cavern, I stored them there for a rainy day. I'll join you as soon as I find the kids." He saw that she wanted to argue, but she nodded and turned the flyer, heading for the mountain range. He reaches into his workshop and grabbed a canvas bag which he slung over his shoulder, the last of anything from his work space which would be useful, then he ran, from building to building until he spotted a familiar mop of brown hair. The three teens were stood watching the landing pad from the top of Sam's dome. He ran up to them.

"I told you to stay at the dome..." He started angrily, Marcos flinched slightly, he had never seen such fury on the face of his normally soft spoken step-father.

"Sssorry, but we saw the ship, what's happening?" Sam asked. Val looked over to the pad, he was dismayed to see that a large number of the colony had gathered, and despite Riva's attempts, they were not moving.

"Fools." He cursed. Then it started, a high pitched whine, followed by others, the crowd started to scream and run, people were caught in the stampede, others fell from the impact of the energy weapons which were singing their lethal chorus, Val pulled the three down behind the wall. Sam cried out as she saw he grandfather grappling with a black clad guard, before being shot down from behind, the old man crumpled, but not before wrenching the gun from the guard and taking a few of them with him. Sam sobbed, Val pulled her against him. "Shhhh, I'm sorry, but you must stay quiet, we need to get under cover."

"Mum! Ric stood and watched as a guard pulled his mother by the arm towards the melee, she fought to get away before being backhanded across the face and falling to the ground.

"Riva!" Noone broke through the chaos as sprinted towards his wife, the guard shot him in the chest before turning the gun on the prone woman.

"NOOOO!" Ric broke cover as Val and Marcos tried to pull him back, he scrambled free of them and ran towards his fallen parents, he hadn't got more than twenty metres before he fell to the floor, shot in the chest by the same guard who systematically turned his weapon on anybody who moved.

They watched in horror as several heavily suited guards with flame throwers started going from dome to dome, putting the gun through the windows and incineration everything inside.

"Come on, we have to leave." Val took the shocked teens by the hands and dragged them away from the carnage. They made it to the outskirts of the compound, a low wall surrounded a storage dome, they ducked around the back where Val pulled a tarpaulin off of two speeder bikes. The bikes belonged to the colony and were used to deliver messages to and from the mines, which were a communication black spot. Small and fast, they covered the sandy terrain with ease, but unfortunately were expensive to buy and run, which is why they were only used in emergencies. Val considered this an emergency.

"Sam, you ride behind Marcos. Marc, head straight for Pullen's ravine. Stay with me, don't turn back, not for any reason. As they turned back to the bikes, a sudden flash of light and explosive sound made them jump, Val lunged and grabbed the muzzle of the blaster which had narrowly missed them, he pulled hard and caught the federation trouper off guard, pulling the masked figure standing on top of the low dome off balance, they both landed heavily in the sand where they scuffled for a few seconds, the trooper pulled a large serrated knife from a sheath on his belt, he tried plunging it at Val, who gripped the man's wrist, deflecting the blade away from his sternum. Val managed to land several heavy blows to the guards ribs before pinning him face down, he ripped the guards helmet of and shoved his face into the sand, putting all his weight on him until the guard finally stopped struggling. Val fell back, gasping trying to catch his breath after the struggle. He pointed to the dead man.

"Quickly, smash the window and dump him inside the dome, his friends will incinerate any evidence that we were here, they'll think he was just careless." The teens stared at him and the dead body. "Hurry! If they realise someone has survived, they'll hunt us down like animals!" He struggled to his feet, gathering up the rifle.

"Val? Are you okay?" His stepson asked, his eyes locked on Val's midriff. Val looked down and saw the crimson stain on his side, spreading through the fabric of his beige shirt.

"It's nothing, just a scratch, I'll take care of it later, right now we have to focus. Do you hear me?" Marcos nodded and reluctantly pulled the trouper by his webbing towards the dome, Sam picked up a stone and smashed the window. Val helped to tip the corpse inside before picking up the helmet and throwing it in. "Come on, we're running out of time."

They mounted the bikes and sped away towards the rocky mountains in the distance. They heard numerous explosions, which got quieter as they got more distant until they rounded the wall of the ravine.

Pullen's ravine was a crevice in the rocks, about ten metres deep it ran the length of the small mountain range. Calling them mountains was being generous, it was a group of rocky hills which broke up the sandy landscape, but they were pitted with caverns of various sizes, which had been dubbed the whispering cavers as when the wind blew, it caused strange soulful noises to echo around the area. It had been called Pullen's ravine after one of the first colonists who, after being caught in a sandstorm, survived for four days in the ravine before being rescued. After that, the colonists had explored and charted the area thoroughly, making it the perfect place to hide.

They swept through the ravine, weaving in and out of the rocky twisting walls until they reaches the last cavern in the range, the flyer was tucked underneath a rocky outcrop. They parked the bikes next to it, hiding them from above then entered the cavern. It had started to get dark and Val was sure they would be invisible to any overhead craft

The cavern started as a small cave, but a small opening in the back led to a larger space, it was here that they found the others, Frey ran forward and enveloped Val in a bear hug which he returned, Mel stood and approached, noticing the teens shocked faces as they sat down against the stone wall, Sam started shaking, clinging to Marcos like she was afraid that he would disappear.

"Val?" She whispered. He closed hie eyes. Mel had grown up in this colony, so had the children and Mina, they were all part of a very close community.

"I'm sorry, they were too quick." He released Frey as she stepped back, her wide innocent eyes full of tears.

"They killed Grandpa..." Sam muttered, her head pressed against Marcos' shoulder. "And Ric, and Riva and..."

"Everyone! They killed everyone. Why?" Marcos couldn't hold back his tears.

"It's what they do. I recognised the badge on their uniforms, they were a death squad, they are conditioned to kill, without question or mercy." Val answered.

"Mum? Dad?" A small voice cut in, Val turned to face the youngest member of the colony, Juni was just eight years old. Val wanted to hide as her young eyes asked the question he didn't want to answer.

"I'm sorry, I don't know. It's possible that others have managed to hide..."

"My parents too?" Theo was just two years older, though his mop of blonde hair and blue eyes made him look younger. Val nodded.

"Kel?" Mina whispered. Val closed his eyes, he had seen the young father-to-be fall. He shook his head. Mina let out a sob and closed her arms around her unborn baby. "No." She whispered. Val felt Mel's hands on his face.

"Val, listen to me. It wasn't your fault. You tried to warn them, you did your best." She insisted through her tears. He shook his head.

"Death follows me wherever I go. I came here to escape the violence, instead it just followed me. Fate just won't let me go."

"Maybe that's why fate sent you to us." Mina's quiet voice cut in. Val looked at her. She struggled to her feet and approached him. "Maybe fate knew this would happen and made sure there would be somebody here with us who could help us."

"I wasn't much help..."

"If it wasn't for you, I would be dead as well, and my baby would never be born. You saved us, and for that I can never thank you enough." She slipped her arms around him and gave him a shy hug. She pulled back, and he could see her trying to hide her grief for the sake of the youngsters. She stopped and looked at her hand which felt wet and warm, she held it up, the dim light of the lamp highlighting the red blood. "Val?"

"Val! You're hurt!" Frey exclaimed. Mel lifted the lamp and brought it over to him.

"Damn! Why didn't you say anything?" She scolded. He shrugged and winced slightly as she peeled the shirt away from the wound.

"It really is just a scratch." He explained. She glared at him.

"I need more light. Marcos, get some more lamps from the crate..."

"Wait! Before you light anymore, find something to block the entrance, so they don't give us away."

"I'll help." Sam stood, Frey nodded and joined them. The other two children joined in as they created a makeshift blackout while Mina held the lamp for Mel as she sat Val down on a crate. She helped him open his shirt and pull it back off his shoulder. She opened the medikit."

"It's a little bit more than a scratch." She scolded as she cleaned the long gash. He smiled.

"It's not life threatening though is it. Just another scar to add to the collection." He looked up and saw Marcos, Frey and Sam watching him, the other children behind them, he smiled softly and indicated for his step-daughter to come and sit next to him, she nestled by his side and he put his free arm around her shoulders.

"Your scar is so big." She whispered, her eyes locked on the burn which Marcos could now see extended down past his shoulder and covered most of his side. The knife had sliced across it. "Does it hurt?" She asked. He shook his head.

"It did at the time, but not any more." He assured her.

"What will happen to us?" Juni's small voice echoed around the cavern. He smiled reassuringly.

"Marcos, could you please pass me my bag." He pointed to the canvas shoulder bag which he had retrieved from his workshop. Marcos passed it to him and Val opened it and pulled out a small black box with a switch and a red light which was blinking steadily. "I have some friends, when I activated this signal device back at my dome, it alerted them that I was in trouble and needed help. They will come for us."

"How long will they take?"

"If all the ships were in dock, three days maximum. But it's very rare for all the ships to be in at once, someone is bound to be closer."

"Your friend has more than one ship?"

"He has lots. Don't worry, he'll send someone for us."

"He must be pretty rich and powerful to have a fleet of ships." Sam remarked. Val smiled softly and looked at Marcos who was staring at him. He felt Mel squeeze his hand softly in support. He looked down for a moment.

"He is. His name is Blake. Roj Blake." He heard the others gasp, only Mel didn't react, she slipped her arm around his shoulder.

"Blake! General Blake, leader of the Free Alliance?" Marcos gasped, his eyes wide. Val nodded. "You've met Blake..." He sat down on the floor next to Sam, a stunned look on her face. Sam looked up at him.

"Poppa knew." She half questioned, half stated. Val nodded again.

"He knew."

"How did you meet him?" Freya asked.

"I met him on Earth, back before he was General Blake."

"Did you see the Liberator?" Theo asked excitedly, his young face glowing. Everybody in the colony had known of the little boys obsession with spaceships. Val smiled.

"We found it together."

"But...I remember Dad telling me the stories about the Liberator, they were my favourites. There wasn't anyone called Val Kain..." Theo started. Marcos smiled.

"It's not your real name." He interrupted. Val shook his head.

"No it's not."

"What is your name." Juni whispered. Val looked at Theo. The boy bit his lip, trying to remember.

"He told me loads of stories. He said the besides Blake, there was Avon and Vila." He paused before carrying on. "There was ...Jenn and Diana and Gan..."

"Jenna, Dayna and Gan." Val interrupted. Theo nodded and continued.

"Cally and...and...I can't remember."

"Tarrant. Del Tarrant."

"So which one are you?" Freya asked, looking up at him. Val sighed.

"Well. Jenna, Dayna and Cally were all girls..." He smiled, she giggled. His eyes turned sad. "Cally died, so did Gan." Mel squeezed his hand again.

"But Vila and Tarrant are still with General Blake, that's well known." Mina added.

"And General Avon died, at the battle of Rigel 5, while in command of the Defiant." Marcos added.

"The Pheonix. The ships name was the Pheonix. And in a way you are right, that was where Avon died. It is also where Val Kain was born..."

"You're Avon!" Marcos exclaimed loudly. Sam elbowed him.

"Why don't you say it a bit louder, I don't think all the troupers heard you!"

"Sorry...I ...Just." He stuttered embarrassed, she grinned apologetically at him.

"Yes, Yes that was me, many moons ago." Val/Avon admitted. He looked around at the small frightened group around him.

"Let me tell you a story..."

/

A/N Shall I carry on?


	2. Chapter 2

Relics

See chapter 1 for disclaimer.

"Orac, if you do not hear from me within twelve hours, activate the beacon that I installed, it will only be picked up by Avalon,s people..."

"Avon. The chances of this being a trap have significantly risen within the last six minutes. I must insist that you find somewhere more secure to leave me..."

"Orac? What are you not telling me?" Avon growled at the small computer. He could have sworn that the blinking lights within it had sped up, almost as if the artificial intelligence was nervous.

"I have received a message."

"Where from?

"The origin is undetermined. However I believe it to be genuine."

"What the hell does it say!" Avon was losing his temper, the urge to pull the key from the box was becoming hard to resist.

"It simply says..'Avon. Gauda Prime. Trap.'"

"Anything else?"

"It is signed..."

"Come on Orac! We do not have time to play games."

"It does not make sense..."

"ORAC!"

"The philosophical flea! You see, I told you that it makes no sense."

Avon closed his eyes and let out a small laugh.

"Yes it does. It makes perfect sense. The message is from Blake."

"Avon! The door's open, Soolin and Dayna are checking ahead. What's taking you so long?" Vila's voice came from outside the flyer.

"Coming. I'm just making sure Orac is safe."

"Shame you didn't hold the rest of us in such high a regard." The sarcastic comment came back, the voice moving away. Avon sighed.

"I'm sorry Avon. I followed the logical path which led to the conclusion that Blake was here, but it would seem that I missed a divergence."

Avon grinned "The path not taken? The story of my life. Orac, if we do not return, don't contact Avalon, send that beacon to the origin of that message." He checked his gun. "Orac, the dampening experiment we were working on, I want you to implement it..."

"We have no guarantee that it will work, and the amount of power that it would require..."

"This flyer is docked to a recharging station. Through it you can drain every ounce of power from this base if needs be. Concentrate the field on our bracelets, if we become separated, concentrate on the largest group. If the dampening field can just reduce the power output of the federation rifles by only forty percent, that's the difference between kill and stun." He stood and started down the flyer steps.

"Avon?"

"YES!"

"Good luck." Avon blinked, the computer almost sounded upset, and the notion that the super charged machine was resorting to luck made Avon's blood run cold.

"And you." He shut the door and ran towards the others.

Vila was waiting, crouched by the doorway.

"It's about time!"

"Orac had some new information."

"Oh, wonderful, I can hardly wait..." Vila sniped. But he stopped when he saw the look on Avon's face. "Not good news then?"

"No, not really. In fact, it's now very probable that we are walking straight into a trap."

"Fantastic. And Blake?"

"Not here."

"Wonderful. Well at least Tarrant isn't here to rub your nose in it." Vila made to move but stopped as Avon laid a hand on his arm. Avon looked into Vila's face and remembered the early days, how while waiting on earth to be deported they along with Gan's help had both made sure that Jenna had never been left alone at the mercy of the the guards. And how they had broken the bank in space city. Just the two of them left from the beginning. He knew where he had lost the smaller man's trust, and suddenly he felt the need to put things right. Vila was looking at him with a mix of fear and suspicion, and Avon couldn't take the sight of the accusation in those eyes any longer. He lowered his face to the floor.

"I'm sorry Vila." He said, his voice almost a whisper. He looked up when he had no response. He was shocked to see tears building which Vila was desperately trying to hold back. Avon knew what he needed to say. "I'm so sorry. I would never have put you out of that airlock, I need you to know that.."

"But I heard you, I heard what Orac said..."

"Orac is a machine, but despite what you may think I'm not. I had an idea, I wanted to de-pressurise the shuttle..."

"Making us weightless?"

"Exactly, but I couldn't while you were hiding, we needed to get into environment suits. I should have explained, but I know that I've been...unpredictable.."

"We've questioned your sanity at times." Vila told him bluntly. Avon nodded."

"Me too." He sighed. "I don't think I have slept properly since ...the liberator. Every time I close my eyes..."

"What."

"Cally! I see Cally, and Anna and Gan and all those others who have died, all mocking me, telling me what a disaster I've made of this." He looked into the other man's eyes. "A part of me will be glad when I don't have to see them again.."

"Avon?" Avon looked up and found the other man smiling. "Thank you, it means a lot, that you told me."

"I couldn't let us walk into this with you still thinking that I could do that to you."

"Are we really that far up shit creek?" Vila asked, making Avon smile. "No paddle?"

"I'm not sure we even have a canoe this time."

"Then why are we still going in?"

"Because, whoever is here is using Blake's name to trap rebels. We have to stop them."

"Me and thee, saviours of the universe? Vila asked.

"Looks like it. With a little help from the lady gunfighters."

"Universe is fucked then! C'mon, lets get this done."

/

Avon slowly became aware of the smell of blood and smoke, then the sirens. His body hurt, every muscle screamed in protest as he tried to move. He opened his eyes, and came face to face with the corpse of the fake Blake. He took a moment to look into the ruined face and knew for certain that he had done the right thing, he couldn't tell if it was a clone, or a construct, or a combination of both, but in that moment, he knew that he was looking into the eyes of a stranger. He had known the moment the fake had opened his mouth and implored Avon to 'trust' him that this was not Blake, but some abomination, created to ensnare the unsuspecting.

He pushed himself up, glancing around at the fallen, the federation troopers who he knew were definitely not going to get up again, when they had left the Scorpio, he had made sure that the guns were loaded out with percussion rounds, the dampening field wouldn't have made them safe. He saw Soolin laying face down, her arm outstretched towards him. He reached out and grasped her wrist, holding his breath for a moment until he felt the faint throbbing of a pulse. It had worked! By some miracle the dampening field had saved at least one of his people. He pushed himself to a sitting position, shaking with the effort. Although the field had reduced the potency of the fed weapons, he had been hit with multiple blasts, and he knew that he must have internal injuries, he reached into the inside pocket of his jacket and graped the cold metal object which he had hidden there. He pulled out the pressure spray and looked at it. It was one of many which had been found amongst Dorien's belongings. Soolin told them that she had seen him use it many times and that he had told her that it was his personal mix of vitamins to help keep him healthy. Upon analysis it turned out to be an incredibly potent and highly toxic stimulant which only Dorien could use because all of the harmful effects had been heaped onto his gestalt. They had destroyed the stash, but Avon had kept this one spray, which contained three doses. He didn't know why he had kept it, and had almost got rid of it several times, but a nagging voice had told him to keep it handy.

He was glad of it now, though he knew that by taking it, he would certainly die, but at least he could do one good thing before his end. He pushed the spray against his neck and injected it, he quickly slipped it back into his pocket before he felt the fire running through his veins, the pain nearly blinded him, making his muscles spasm. He gasped for air, desperately trying to push the pain down to a level where he could function. One by one he managed to half drag, half carry his comrades to a shuttle in the docking bay, having to use a second dose of the stimulant half way through. He had wondered about the man who had been with the fake Blake, he had seemed genuinely surprised by the turn of events, so Avon had bound the man's hands and feet and put him in the shuttle too, he was done deciding who lives or dies, someone else could decide this man's fate.

After laying timed explosives all over the base, He had retrieved Orac from the flyer and plugged the computer into the shuttles controls.

"Orac?" He rasped as he activated the key. The lights blinked dimly and were slow, but the computer responded.

"My power levels are down to twenty percent. Am I to assume that the field experiment was successful?"

"Yes. To a point. I have connected you to the shuttles controls, pilot the shuttle to the origin of the message. Get them to Blake."

"What about you?"

"I am dead already. The dampening field can't help much if you are hit multiple times. I had to use Dorien's stimulant..."

"Avon! You knew that using that drug would kill you, why?"

"Because I've had enough. I don't matter, they do. Get them safe. Please..."

"Avon..."

"Enough! Go. I'm going to get into the other shuttle and just fly. Sleer will not get to parade my corpse through the streets." He stood and staggered slightly as he shut the shuttle door. He watched as it manoeuvred out of the docking bay and accelerated out of sight. He used the last dose of stimulant and dragged himself into the last shuttle. He set the controls and headed out, away from the reek of death. He watched as the explosives he had set destroyed the base and any evidence that any of them were ever there. 'I'm not going out with my face in the dirt.' He said out loud as he thought about a heading, then he smiled, and set course toward the darkling zone, an uncharted place where no space ship ever returns from. He grinned, his glazed eyes locked on the vastness of space ahead of him as he lost conciousness 'No, I'm going out looking at the stars."

/

The sound of a siren blasted its way into his skull, forcing him to try and open his eyes, smoke and fire seared at him and through the pain he could see that the shuttle was barrelling through high tree tops, smashing its way ever lower, out of control. Avon tried to slow the craft down, but the console erupted in a shower of sparks, the flames lapping at his arms. He pulled his hands back and griped the armrests of the seat.

"Typical, I pilot into uncharted space and manage to run into a fucking planet!" He muttered, "Oh well, face in the dirt it is then."

/

He hadn't expected to wake again, not after the impact on the planet surface, yet he was aware. He was cool, but not cold, and he was floating. He tried to open his eyes, but found that he couldn't, so he strained to listen. He became aware of the sounds of machinery, and equipment. And he could hear voices, soft and calm. He concentrated on the voices.

"How is the patient today?"

"Still unresponsive. Though he is showing some signs of awareness."

"He? You have determined that as fact?"

"Yes. Our knowledge of other races is limited, but according to our databases and the information from the Pith computers, we have confirmed that he is a human male, about forty earth years of age."

"Which means?"

"Forty earth years is equivalent to seventy of our years, he is in his prime. The fact that he survived these injuries is testament to his strength."

"Is he a danger to us?"

"Danger? I do not understand?"

"The plague. Does he show infection?"

"No, he isn't infected. In fact, considering all that he has been through, his condition is remarkably good."

"Do you have any idea how long it will be until he wakes up."

"He is almost there. As I said, he is showing signs of awareness, but that will be limited. The re-generation fluid will keep him immobile, and the damage to his eyes is still to be reversed, so for now, I have disabled the nerves in his eyelids to prevent any further damage. He may be able to hear us though."

"Unable to move or see, but able to hear! That must be terrifying! Thank you Vash, if it acceptable to you, I will stay a while and talk to him. If he can indeed hear me, then I would like to ease his fears."

"Of course, you are our leader, I would never presume to …."

"I know you wouldn't Vash, but this is your med-centre and you are the doctor, and he is your patient. In here, you make the rules."

"Thank you Slaan." Avon could swear the voice sounded bashful, and it had a female ring to it, but something wasn't quite right with it. He wished he could open his eyes, move, anything.

"It is quite alright my friend. You are safe. I know it must be frustrating, but your injuries were severe and numerous. You were quite badly burned when we pulled you from the wreckage of your craft, but the regenerative liquid which you are submerged in is healing you. It will take a little bit of time though, the first thing we had to do was remove the dreadful poison which was making the blood in your veins and arteries turn to jelly, your organs had very nearly ceased to function by the time we got you here. It is a miracle that you are alive. I can see from the monitors that you are agitated, but please, I give you my word that you are safe." Avon could hear movement, and the second voice was back, it was driving him mad, he couldn't see! He needed to move, speak, just lying here like a lab specimen was not an option, he heard the word 'sedative', he wanted to scream, but at that moment he felt reality slip away, and everything went black.

/

Singing. He could hear singing. He tried to open his eyes, and to his huge relief, he found that he could make out lights and vague shapes. He could see movement and turned his head. The muscles in his neck screamed in protest, but he needed to see who was there. Suddenly there was a figure at his side, but he couldn't make out it's features in the dimness.

"Please, don't be alarmed. I promise that no harm will come to you."

"Whe..where..am..." He tried to ask, but his throat was dry, and the words wouldn't form.

"You have been moved from the regeneration unit to a room with a little more privacy. The fluid has done it's work, your physical injuries are more than ninety percent healed, now it is just rest and recuperation that is needed."

"Why...Dark?"

"The light is being kept to a minimum for three reasons. One, your eyes were damaged by the fire in your ship, and though we have repaired the damage, you will find bright light a little bit uncomfortable for a while. Second, we are aware that some humans find other species...a little bit too different, so we will hide in the shadows until you are strong enough to meet us properly. The third reason is for my benefit. My species are generally more active during the dark hours, and though we can function quite happily in bright light, it is more natural for us to work in the dark." Avon digested this information. He felt as though he should be angry, and be fighting to get away, but despite the fact that the very notion of trust was as alien to him as these people seemed to be, he heard some familiar words echo in his mind. _Those who trust can never be betrayed, only mistaken._

Cally's voice soothed him and he found himself relaxing. He closed his eyes.

"Vash?" He questioned. He felt a touch on his arm.

"Yes, that is my name...Well it's not but you wouldn't be able to pronounce my given name, so Vash is a shortened version."

"A doctor?" His voice was getting a bit stronger now.

"Closest thing we have to a doctor." She confirmed. "But don't let yourself worry about it. Slaan will come by soon, I'll let him explain. For now just rest and let the nutrients do their job."

"Vash! One...Question.."

"Yes, I'll do my best to answer."

"I am your... patient."

"For now, yes, but you are far along the road to being well again."

"When I am no...longer...patient, what will …..I be then?"

"I'm sorry, I do not understand."

"Not patient, so guest, or ...prisoner?"

"That is a difficult question, and until you understand more about us, then any answer that I give you will not make sense. Please, Slaan will be a better person for you to ask that question." After a pause, Vash continued. "You know my name, what is yours?"

"Avon. My name is Avon."

/

Avon couldn't measure the passage of time, he slept, he healed, but there was no reference points, no day or night, so he had no idea how long he had been on this planet. He was stronger now, he was no longer being fed through tubes and was eating solid meals, he could stand and walk around the small room which he was currently calling home. He only ever saw the two aliens, though saw was probably a stretch, in the darkness of the room he could make out the fact that they were humanoid, but that was about it. He was growing frustrated, but without information, he knew that an escape attempt was futile, also, he had no idea what he was escaping from, but he felt the need to know what had happened to the others, to his companions.

He was sitting on the side of his bed when he heard the door opening, then closing again. His time in the dark had honed his other senses and he could instantly recognise which of the aliens had entered.

"Vash?"

"Yes Avon?"

"I need some answers. There are things I need to know. I have...Friends, people who I have ...cared about. I have no idea if they are alive or dead..."

"Yes. I have watched you growing stronger, and knew the time would soon be here for us to share ourselves with you. Would you like me to open the daylight shield?"

"Yes. I need to see...Something, Anything!"

He heard a soft chuckle and squinted slightly as the light in the room increased. Little by little he could make out the outline of a window, he walked towards it, looking out.

"I will not clear it completely, after being in the dark for so long, I don't want to stress your eyes. The glass is polarized, we can control how much light is allowed through, from total blackout to completely transparent." Avon noticed the small control pad on the wall, and noticed that it was only configured for four digits. He also realised that he was stood there in front of a stranger completely naked. He coughed slightly.

"I don't suppose you have anything which resembles clothes?"

"I can arrange for something to be brought to you, but I do not understand, although your physiology is very different to ours, I do not find the sight of you displeasing."

"Umm, It's not that. Humans do not tent to walk around unclothed. We prefer to keep our bodies private, to be shared only with those we are closest to.."

"Oh, like a mate?"

"Yes, like a mate."

"Of course. I will go and get something. And I will clothe myself..."

"I don't want to impress my ways upon you..."

"No, it it quite alright. If my people are to have more contact with yours, then this is the sort of thing we need to know." He heard the door open and looked out of the window.

Window was something of an understatement, the entire wall had become transparent, although it was tinted a dark smokey colour. He put his hand on the pad and put pressure the thumb pad, the wall started to darken, so he changed the pressure to the finger furthest away from the thumb and the glass started to lighten, he kept the pressure on and the glass got lighter and lighter until it was completely clear. He squinted at the sudden light, but couldn't help but gaze in wonder at the sight before him. He was looking out over the canopy of a vast endless forest. Some trees stuck out through the top of the endless carpet of green. Strange brightly coloured birdlike creatures, danced among the treetops, swooping and diving, catching insects. A large dragonfly like creature hovered in front of the window, seeming to look in before diving back into the canopy. Blue sky and clouds stretched as far as he could see. It reminded him of his early years on earth, he had been raised in the oceanic dome, which had once been known as New Zealand. His grandmother had shown him books and pictures of the forests which existed on the islands south of the zone, and as a boy he had dreamed of seeing them. He didn't believe in the stories of the earth being spoiled, of talk of poisonous air and monsters. Even as a child he had seen that for what it was, propaganda to keep the population under control. The door behind him opened.

"Oh, I see you have worked out the controls. Vash said it would still be dim.."

"Sorry, I'll turn it down."

"No. I just need a moment to adapt my eyes. There, Vash said you required this. Avon turned and came face to face with the aliens for the first time. He wasn't sure what he was expecting, but the reptilian figure standing in front of him took him a little by surprise. He took the offered garment which was a white cotton sleeveless shirt which fell to his knees and slipped it on. He noticed that Slaan was wearing a similar outfit, though his had a slit up the back to accommodate a tail which seemed to move with a mind of its own. Slaan's skin was a pale brown colour, with black and grey speckles, he had four digits on his hands and feet which ended in small black claws. His face was round and broad, with a wide mouth and short muzzle, large eyes were set above small nostrils. Avon was reminded of the geckos which had run across the surface of the dome, seeming to find their way in and out without too much effort.

"I hope my appearance is not too alarming to you."

"Not at all. I was just thinking how you remind me of the place where I grew up."

"Really!" Slaan laughed. Avon smiled.

"Can I ask how is it that you speak my language so well?" Avon asked. Slaan sighed and walked to the window.

"To explain that I must start at the beginning." He said. Avon nodded and sat down in his bed. "Many years ago, our people co-existed with two other species on this planet. We lived up here amongst the canopy and our race though technologically advanced was comfortable with what we had. Another race lived on the forest floor, amongst the swamplands, they were amphibious, and chose to embrace a simple existence, they distrusted all technology. The third race was simian, similar to your earth apes. They worshipped all technology and chose to reach for the stars. Our race chose to accompany them, to learn about those who lived close to us. We visited your planet several times, back when your race was in its infancy, living in caves, and working with stone tools. We were very careful to stay out of the way, and watched as your people developed and reached for the stars yourselves.

But we saw the troubles that you had, the cruelty and subjugation of free peoples. We saw whole races slaughtered for being different and your Federation claiming planets for it's own."

"Not my Federation." Avon corrected. Slaan nodded.

"I am glad. We decided to retreat back to our own system. We set up defences and worked to keep ourselves isolated. We, our race, developed a shield which keeps this planet masked from all those who may dare to enter our space, but the Simians were more aggressive in their desire to keep humankind away and mined the space around us and destroyed any who wandered too close.

But this was not enough for them, and without our knowledge they developed a plague which they intended to unleash, to keep the humans confined to Earth."

"Yes, we encountered it." Avon whispered. Slaan dropped his face to the floor.

"I am so sorry. I thought we had managed to stop all of the Simian's launches. Please tell me the death toll was not too high."

"About a hundred. The booby trap was stopped at a remote outpost, mainly military personnel and some scientists. The planet itself was uninhabited and has now been quarantined."

"At least it didn't get loose. Though you do not need to continue to quarantine. The Simians engineered the plague to have a very short half life. Once all viable hosts are deceased, the plague itself dies after about seventy two of your Earth hours."

"How can you be sure?"

"Because this planet is now safe. You see, the simians were careless, and they not only attempted to unleash this monstrosity on your people, but by accident they let it loose on themselves, and us."

Slaan looked out of the window again. "The Amphibians were wiped out first, their small, close knit communities were soon ravaged by the plague which though designed to attack humans, had turned on its creators and their cousins. The Simians all went next, they took refuge in underground bunkers and the space stations orbiting the planet, but they just succeeded in sealing themselves in their own tombs."

"And you, how did you survive?"

"Ahh, that is the most ironic thing of all. You see, several of us had been in contact with some humans a few years before, they had been taken ill with something you call the Martian flu."

"The red shakes."

"Yes. We helped them without revealing ourselves, but were infected. It seems that the antibodies which we developed in fighting this infection, protected us from the plague."

"How many?"

"Nine of us were protected. And we had thirty three eggs isolated in our hatchery at the time of the outbreak. The eggs too were protected."

"That's all! Out of three races, forty two survivors?"

"We were never a very numerous race, compared to humans, our lifespan is approximately two times yours. At the time of the decimation, we numbered about fifteen thousand. The Simians numbered ninety thousand, and the Amphibians about forty thousand."

"My God! Death on that scale..."

"It was horrific. All three races took to cremating the dead to try to halt the spread of the disease. Those of us who were left, cleared the last of the dead. That was thirty of your years ago. The Plague has completely gone, but it has left a legacy."

"Which is?"

"None of our eggs will hatch. Those thirty three were the last hatchlings. In about one hundred years our race will be gone."

"I'm sorry."

"You have nothing to be sorry for my friend. We should have stopped the Simians, we created this fate for ourselves. But that brings us to your original question. You see we now have no purpose, we are a race which is waiting to die, so we decided that we needed make contact with your kind, find someone to make this mean something. So we abandoned our language and learned yours, and we set out to make contact with your people, but then fate delivered you to us."

"I don't understand..."

"We know that not all humans are as I described, we know that there are those who oppose the Federation and everything that it stands for. We want to find these people, we want to give them a gift, and to help bring peace to the galaxy and freedom to all."

"Those are noble words, but be warned, some of those who fight the federation are not that much better, and their idea of freedom may not be what you imagine."

"You sound as though you have experience."

"I do. I myself was part of a group trying to fight the Federation, but its not as simple as that."

"Then you truly were brought to us by fate. You are the one who can help us." Slaan said eagerly. Avon let out a laugh.

"Me! No, you really can do better than me as a saviour. As a freedom fighter I was woefully inept, and as a leader I was a downright liability. I couldn't even get myself lost in uncharted space, I ran into a hidden planet for goodness sake!" Slaan chuckled.

"Do not underestimate yourself my friend. You survived injuries which would have killed most, and your unwillingness to lead shows me that you would not use our gift for your own benefit. Vash told me that you are concerned for those you left behind. We can help you find them. If you do not want to lead, then perhaps you could help us find those who will." Avon thought for a moment, one face jumping into his mind. He smiled.

"I think I know the perfect man for the job. What is the gift you are offering?"

"I will show you. But first, I will show you how to use our matter fabricators so that you can create some clothes more to your taste. Vash explained your ways of clothing." He led Avon over to a console on the wall. "We have programmed the fabricators with all of the data we have collected over the years. The fabricator can convert energy matter into solid objects, just trawl trough the index to find what you need, food, clothing, decorative items, tools. Not weapons though, many years ago we made the planet surface a weapon free zone, all weapons are kept on the space station."

"Slaan, what would have happened to me if I had been a federation officer, or a pirate, someone who couldn't help you?" Avon asked. Slaan smiled.

"We would not have hurt you. We still won't if you decide not to help us, though I hope you will. We would have taken you to the nearest Human outpost and left you there. You would not be able to find your way back here."

"I found you once." Avon pointed out, Slaan laughed.

"You said yourself that you bumped into us. And the truth is we saw your shuttle coming and dropped our shield just long enough to allow your shuttle to enter the atmosphere. If we hadn't then you would have disintegrated the moment you hit the shield, though you wouldn't have known about it as the planet would have been invisible to you."

"Ah."

"I will leave you for a bit and come back when you are rested."

"Slaan, Could I have a mirror. I have no idea what damage the fire did to me."

"Vash is a very skilled medic. I think you will be impressed. You can use the wall console to look at the record of your recovery. And the window can be used as a mirror, just use the control next to the one which darkens the window to activate mirror mode. The same control reverses it."

"Thank you Slaan." Avon nodded. He watched as the reptilian moved to the door. "Slaan, how long have I been here?"

"There have been just over seventy day/night cycles since you first crashed here. One of our day cycles is about twice as long as one Earth cycle. You have been here approximately one hundred and forty five Earth days." Slaan told him. Avon nodded and turned back to the window.

"Five months! I've been here nearly five months." He said to himself, knowing full well that anything could have happened in that time. He went to the window and changed it to a mirror, barely recognising the figure which looked back at him. He peeled off the shirt and regarded the damage. He was half the weight he had been, his face was gaunt and his bones showed. His hair was cropped short, and his skin had a pink tinge. The most pronounced feature was the livid burn which covered the left side of his ribcage and chest, and travelled up to the left side of his face. He looked at the stranger in front of him, well at least he still had all of his appendages. He ran his hand across the new skin on his chest and felt the regrowth of hair, and realised that his hair hadn't been cut, it was regrowing. He crossed to the console and called up the record of his recovery. He watched as a burnt broken body was brought into the medical section, feeling slightly sickened as he realised he was watching the Rhaco medic carefully cut the charred clothing away from his ruined skin. He saw himself lowered into a tank of viscous yellow liquid, and saw the skin being repaired and regenerated over time. He marvelled at the technology which could reverse so much damage. It truly was a miracle that he had survived, and that he had been healed. He crossed to the fabricator and found the controls very easy to work out and he used the device to create some clothes, a simple outfit of white underware, black trousers, white loose shirt and black shoes. The technology reminded him of a vastly superior version of the Moloch creature's device. He dressed and returned the window to transparent, looking out over the forest, he started to think of those he had left behind, had they managed to find Blake? Had they even survived? He thought of Vila, he missed his sarcastic humour and wit, and how he could lighten any situation. Avon was glad that he had cleared the air with him.

Tarrant, the cocky young smuggler turned rebel, Avon would never have told him, but he did have a soft spot for the young man, he was someone who under different circumstances Avon could have been, if it hadn't all gone wrong with Anna.

Dayna, precious, beautiful Dayna. A warrior and a child all mixed into one. He had made a promise to her father, and Avon said a quiet prayer that he hadn't broken it.

And Soolin. She had been something of an enigma when they had first met her, but Avon had enjoyed her company in those last few tense months on Xenon, and on the long trips aboard Scorpio, she could be funny, and had such a dry humour which Avon appreciated. He felt that of all those he had travelled with over the last few years, she was the one who most understood him.

He heard the door open again and turned, it was the medic. In the light he could see that this reptilian was more slightly built than Slaan, and the features were definitely more feminine.

"Vash." He greeted her, she nodded.

"Slaan asked me to accompany you both as he shows you around. Though you have healed well, we thought it would be beneficial for me to be on hand."

"Vash, the burn on my chest and face..."

"It will fade more, but that part of your body was the most damaged. We will not be able to get rid of the scarring completely, though there is still a little bit more healing to do. If it bothers you, we know that your kind have the ability to perform surgery to hide such defects.."

"It isn't that. But when you are going to be taking part in activities against such a brutal regime as the Terran Federation, any identifying marks can be fatal."

"Ah, I understand now. The scar on your face is still to heal completely, we should be able to reduce it down more, I am hopeful that when your are fully healed, it will be considerably smaller and easier to hide."

"Thank you." They walked slowly for a while, winding their way through the complex which Avon now understood was cut into the side of a vast mountain, Avon gasped at many of the sights he was seeing, the technology on display was mind boggling and far advanced of any race he had encountered, it even made the Liberator seem clumsy and unfinished. They eventually came to a small room where Slaan waited with two other reptilians, both male looking.

"Ah Avon. This is Khorl, he is one of the other elders." Avon was introduced to the larger of the two new aliens, who had a dark reddish skin with no patterning. He was tugging at the collar of the simple smock garment he was wearing and Avon smiled slightly.

"Pleased to meet you. But please don't feel that you have to wear this to please me. Clothing is my custom, and I don't wish to impose my ways on another, that is what the Federation does."

"Thank You, but if we are to meet more of your kind, we do not want to make anyone uncomfortable. I have one of the youngers working on finding something more comfortable for us." Slaan replied. Khorl nodded in agreement. "Khorl is a technician, he will accompany us on the tour as he will be able to answer more of your questions about our 'gift'. Here, please put this on." He handed Avon a simple black band, Avon recognised what it was immediately.

"A teleport bracelet." He whispered, marvelling at how light and sleek it was, and how he could adjust it to fit his wrist. He smiled wistfully, Cally would have loved that, the old Liberator bracelets were so large that she sometimes had to push it all the way up her arm to avoid losing it. He saw the single small black button sitting slightly raised on the band.

"You recognise it?" Khorl sounded surprised.

"Yes. The Federation tried to develop teleport technology a few years ago, but it was a resounding failure. But there was an alien ship which had the ability."

"Come, I'd like to show you more." Slaan, Khorl and Vash all put on their own bracelets and stood in the teleport area.

"Treeko, Teleport please." Slaan nodded at the other male and Avon felt the world around him shimmer before finding himself in another almost identical room, though this one was whiter, and smelt sterile.

"You are now on our largest moon, which is also our docking station. It is where all of our vessels are kept." Slaan explained. He led the way into a corridor and along to a set of large white doors. "Through here is our viewing gallery, and our gift." He put his palm on the door controls and the doors slid open. Avon gasped and staggered to the rail. The sight before him almost bringing him to his knees. Space ships lined the inside of the huge hollow moon, some small, some larger, but one took his eyes. In the centre of the docking area hung a huge, sleek, white ship, a central body with three engine pods. The design was distinct, and familiar.

"Liberator!" He whispered. But this ship was more, where the Liberator had been sharp and angular, this one was more graceful, it's lines more natural, like the talons of a bird of prey. And it was bigger, a lot bigger.

"You have seen this before?" Slaan questioned. Avon nodded.

"Once, when myself and some others were 'guests' of the Federation, the ship we were on came across a ship adrift in space. It was abandoned, but the Federation teams that were put on board kept on being killed, or driven mad. So myself and two others were forced on board. The security didn't affect one of us and he disabled it. We claimed it and called it Liberator."

"You were on that ship? We have records of it. Many years ago we lost one of our deep exploration vehicles, we never knew its fate, but years later, the ship you described appeared in the galaxy. It was not the same, but similar enough."

"We once found ourselves where the ship originated. A computer run planet system where the artificial intelligence had enslaved the humanoid inhabitants. They must have taken your ship and re-created it. It explains why the Liberators interior was so stark and uncomfortable, It was built by computers."

"When we lost our ship, an intelligence invaded our artificial intelligence system, we had to power it down to avoid being detected." Khorl added. Avon nodded.

"The ships computer would have been capable. You don't need to worry though, the ultra collective was destroyed, and the humanoids are rebuilding their society. The Liberator is also gone."

"That is interesting. And it explains everything." Slaan smiled. "Do you like it?"

"It's beautiful." Avon breathed.

"Good, because this is our gift." Avon stared at the reptilian.

"Your giving me this ship?"

"Not one ship. All of them. And the planet and our technology and our help."

"All the ships? How many are there?"

"We have a fleet, from small one person fighters, cargo ships, personnel carriers, fighter carriers, right through to the battleships like the one in front of you."

"Battleships? Plural?"

"Yes, we have three of these. They are a legacy from our time with the Simians."

"And you want to give all this to fight the Federation?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because that would be the best legacy of all for our people, we would be those who helped to bring peace and freedom to the galaxy. Not those who tried to destroy it with a plague."

"Slaan, I admire your motives, but I'm not sure that you understand what you are proposing. You have a paradise here, a world that is safe and free. To get yourself embroiled in a war with the Federation is a huge risk. Are you sure that you want gamble all of this?"

"We have discussed this for many years. Our isolation has led to the certain extinction of our race. Is is time to stop hiding and take our place in the galaxy."

"If you are certain you want to take your place in the galaxy, then I'll help all I can. But for goodness sakes, don't stop hiding. That is probably the key to being a force against the Federation, building a rebel force, one that is united, and having a central base which the Feds cannot find."

"Then you will help?" Avon thought for a moment before nodding.

"I'll help you find the people who can make a difference."

/

It had been several weeks since he had first seen the starships. He had regained his fitness, putting on healthy weight and toning it until he felt fitter than he had in years. His hair had regrown but was still cropped fairly short, and he had allowed a stubbly beard to grow in. The scar had reduced in size, stopping just below his jawline and was easily hidden by a high collar. He has worked with Khorl, restoring the computer system on board the ships, and Avon had been surprised to find that the computers on board the ships were the same as Zen, and after forgetting himself a few times and calling the computer it out loud, Khorl had suggested they give names to the ship computers, and now this particular one was called Zen.

And Avon had called the ship Liberator, not because he was overly sentimental, but he could imagine the looks on the Federation generals faces when the Liberator re-appeared, and he knew that a certain black haired witch would fairly piss herself. That and he couldn't think of a better name, and he really couldn't be bothered wasting time on it.

Instead he had used his time working with Zen trying to make contact with Orac. It had been difficult at first, for obvious reasons, Avon had made Orac difficult to track, but Avon had put our some lures for the super computer, and like a fisherman had waited for it to bite.

And eventually, he was rewarded. He was notified that he was needed on the starship flight deck, so he teleported straight to the ship and walked the corridors to the deck. This ship was much more homely than the old Liberator, the ship had been designed for living beings to inhabit, and it showed, the cabins were bigger and more comfortable. He wandered onto the deck, finding Khorl already there, along with another reptilian, a young pilot called Hest. He nodded to the pilot and laughed to himself as he watched the enthusiastic young reptilian's tail flicking about. Avon had realised why the Liberator had those annoying seats with the holes in the back, both the reptilians and the simians had tails, and the ultra had just copied the design. He wandered over to the computer.

"Zen, you have something?"

"Yes Avon, I believe I have made contact with the one you call Orac, though I must say he is a most disagreeable individual."

"Then you have the right one. Have you got a location?"

"I have traced his signal to the Kalesi system. The system has only one habitable planet, an inhospitable place, but with something of a reputation for being a neutral port with very little law enforcement where almost anything is available for the right price."

"I know of it." He turned to Khorl. "You had better tell Slaan, if it's alright with him, I'd like to go as soon as possible." He paced the flight deck, he had become very comfortable on the green planet, Slaan had insisted that it needed a name, one that humans could pronounce, and after some thought, the planet had been re-named Viridis, which Avon had explained meant green in an old earth language. Vash had pointed out that they should then be called Viridians. So Viridis had become a new home to him, and he was reluctant to leave it, even for a short amount of time, but he knew he needed to know what had happened to the others, and he needed to find someone to help the Viridians. He Stood looking at the screen, until Slaan's voice came over the speaker.

"Avon, Khorl tells me you have news."

"Yes. A system not too far away."

"Good luck my friend, we'll look forward to having you home."

"Alright. Let's get on with this. Hest, set a course. Khorl, who besides us is aboard?"

"Vash is in the medical bay and Tolos and Reli are on board as well."

"Good. Is the cloak in place?"

"Yes, we are screened from all sensors."

Avon nodded and sat in the command area. He smiled.

"Standard by eight. It's time to make a comeback."

/

It was several days later when the Liberator entered the Kalesi system, the planet in front of them was red and angry, a volcanic molten ball of fury, with isolated hotspots of habitable land, where the galaxy's most undesirable characters could gather without fear of Federation interference. They stealthily approached the planet, making orbit with the cloak up so that for now, nobody would know they were there.

"Reli, keep on scanning any communications, Zen knows what to listen for." He said, the young female Viridian nodded and continued watching her screen. Avon sat in the control area, lost in thought, they had been like that for several hours before Reli sat up straight.

"Sir. I think I have something." The young Viridian exclaimed, Avon rolled his eyes.

"Reli, you don't need to call me sir. It's just Avon."

"Yes sir." Avon sighed.

"What is it?"

"A transmission from a small one man cargo vessel in orbit."

"Let me hear it." There was the sound of some static before a voice boomed out of the speaker.

"Sanctuary! Do you hear me? This is the Pilgrim. I'm losing power and the cartel are on my tail, I'm going to have to ditch the cargo and return to the surface...Sanctuary! Please respond...!" The line went dead, but Avon had heard enough, he recognised the pilots voice, even though he hadn't heard it for over three years.

"Tolos! Can you teleport me onto that ship?"

"I can, but it will be extremely dangerous..."

"Khorl, you are in charge until I get back," He called as he sprinted from the flight deck, within minutes he was in the teleport room. He grabbed two bracelets and stepped onto the platform, slipping one onto his wrist. He nodded to the Viridian who gulped nervously before activating the teleport. Avon found himself stood in a small cabin, directly behind the pilots chair, he could see the planet getting bigger at an alarming rate, and the controls popped and fizzed, the pilot sat slumped at the controls, a trickle of blood on her temple, staining her blonde hair. Avon jumped forward and snapped the bracelet onto her wrist.

"Tolos, teleport us near to the point she sent that message to." Avon called into his braclet. He was instantly stood on a hillside, the ground stoney and dry. A fine rain fell and the air was cold, Avon gathered up the pilot and took shelter under a rocky outcrop. He put her down on the ground before calling the ship again. "Tolos, we are safe. Please send down something to keep us warm, and some water please." He waited for a few minutes until a bundle appeared in front of him. "Thank you. I'll be in touch." He took the teleport transponder from the pack and undid the bundle revealing two long duster coats with thermal lining and hoods. He put one on over the top of the black fatigues he was wearing and picked up the rest of the bundle, noticing that besides the canteen of water there were some ration packs and a simple medical kit. He spread the other duster on the ground under the outcrop and gently laid the still unconscious pilot on it, wrapping it around her. He used the water and a dressing to clean the dry blood from her temple, then he gathered a few pebbles and rocks into a small pile and used the small disruptor weapon he had been carrying to superheat them, creating some warmth. He sat and ate one of the rations, looking out into the distance. He was listening to the breathing of the pilot, and so knew exactly the moment she awoke. She had become tense and had reached for her boot, but froze when Avon held his hand out, showing her the knife which he had already removed. He still had his back to her so he knew she had no idea who he was.

"Attempting to stab the person who has just rescued you in the back is hardly sporting, is it." he said softly, turning slightly to face her. The look of pure shock on her face made him smile slightly. "Hello Jenna."

"A..A...Avon? But it can't be..You're..."

"Dead. Not quite. Seems I couldn't even get that right." He wetted some more dressing and leaned forward, softly cleaning away a new trickle of blood. She recoiled away from him.

"How do I know you're not an impostor? You are not acting like the Avon I knew." He could see the distrust in her eyes and nodded.

"Fair point. But how do you know what I was really like? You and me never spent much time together. The only time we were ever alone was when we found the treasure room on the Liberator. I tried to get you to leave with me. You were tempted too." He saw her look away. "That's why you always avoided me, because I saw you at a moment of weakness..."

"Shut up!" She demanded. He smiled and handed her the knife.

"You can stab me if you like, but I'd rather you didn't." She took it, puzzled.

"You've changed." She said. He looked down.

"You have no idea." He whispered. Jenna frowned.

"If you really are Avon, then prove it. What happened to Cally?" She saw his shoulders stiffen under the coat.

"She died. You must know that."

"Yes. But how?" She waited. "I want to know why you rescued a bloody computer, but not her."

"She was already dead before I went down into the bunker. But I found her body, she had been crushed by a girder." Jenna could hear a shake in his voice. She pushed on.

"How did you know? Avon, tell me."

"I FELT HER DIE!" He shouted. Raw emotion poured out of him for the first time since it happened. "I felt her die. And I have re-lived that moment over and over again, every night when I close my eyes..." He looked at Jenna, his eyes blazing. She put a hand on his arm.

"There's the Avon I knew." She stated. "Were you together? I always thought she had a soft spot for you." She smiled. He looked down. He had never shared his emotions with the crew, never let them into his personal life. But his time on Viridis had opened his eyes, he had seen how this had been a mistake. He shrugged.

"We were on the edge of...something. We never got the chance." He looked up at her. "Are you here with Blake?" He asked. She nodded. "And..."

"And what?"

"Don't play with me Jenna. I've walked into hell and back, I have the burns to prove it, and I have followed Orac's trail to this planet. I need to know. Did the others make it? Are they alive?" She paused for a second before coming to a decision.

"Yes. It was touch and go with Tarrant for a few weeks, but he pulled through." She watched as his shoulders slumped, the wave of relief was visible. "It means that much to you? That they survived?"

"If course it does!"

"It's just that, you never really seemed to care for anybody but yourself." It was quiet for a moment before she heard him quietly reply."

"Fooled you." She couldn't help it, she started to laugh. He watched her amusement at his expense, not minding one bit. "It's good to see you Jenna."

"And despite all of our arguments. It's good to see you too."

"The locator in your pocket, how long will it be before they come to rescue you?" He asked. She glared at him and he gave her a look which said 'c'mon, do you really think I wouldn't check?' She rolled her eyes.

"An hour or so. How long was I out."

"About twenty minutes." She nodded and thought for a moment.

"Are you coming back to us? Are you re-joining the rabble?"

"I wasn't aware that I had ever left!" He replied. "But this time, I'm bringing something with me, and it's a game changer." She looked at him suspiciously. He grinned. "Trust me, you are going to love it."

/

They sat in silence for a while, eating the rations and keeping warm. Until green clad figures appeared over the horizon. Avon nodded in their direction, alerting Jenna to their approach.

"They yours?" He asked. She nodded. "Are they likely to try to shoot me?"

"Not if I tell them not to."

"I'd appreciate that if you don't mind." He said. She laughed and set off to meet them. Avon gathered the last of their belongings up and kicked the now cooling stones out of the orderly pile, scattering them. He started walking towards the rescue party, watching the body language very carefully, ready to call Talos to pull him out at a moments notice. He watched as two of the party turned to look his way, but it was the other two who he was watching. One had lowered their weapon and was staring his way, but the other was sprinting towards him, he smiled as the hood fell backwards and exposed the face of his favourite warrior. Her Face was wet with tears as she got closer to him until he found his arms full of Dayna Mellanby.

"Avon! We thought you were dead!" She exclaimed. He laughed.

"I still may be if I don't breathe soon!" He felt her embrace soften slightly.

"Hell wouldn't have you then?" Another familiar voice cut in. Avon smiled.

"Apparently not."

"Tarrant!" Dayna scolded as she released her bear hug and turned to the newcomer. The tall man shrugged.

"I'm not about to run up and hug him am I." He pointed out.

"I should hope not. That would be Hell." Avon agreed. Tarrant flashed his trademark smile.

"It is good to see you though, but if you tell anyone I said that, I'll deny it."

"Too bad there are witnesses." Jenna interrupted.

"Are you alright?" Dayna asked the blonde pilot. Jenna nodded. "Where did you crash?"

"I actually have no idea." She replied, turning to face Avon. He grimaced.

"You didn't. Your ship burned up trying to re-enter the atmosphere."

"Then how?"

"That's going to take some explaining. But I'd rather only tell my story the one time."

"Avon. What are you hiding?" Tarrant asked. Avon sighed.

"Look. I'll give you one word for now. Teleport. The rest you'll have to trust me on."

"Teleport! You managed to re-create the technology?" Dayna exclaimed. Avon smiled and turned to Jenna.

"As I said. A game changer."

/

They walked for a while, trudging through the black mud. The rain kept on falling, wetting the group through.

"Doesn't it ever stop raining?" Avon grumbled. Jenna laughed.

"Blake and I have been here for over a year, and it hasn't yet. Bevan, you've been here longest."

One of the men who had accompanied Dayna and Tarrant snorted.

"Nine years, and I ain't seen it stop yet. Think I'm evolving webbed feet."

"And I suppose some sort of flyer was out of the question?" Avon added. Bevan nodded.

"We're right out on the outskirts of Arcrudos City, which is known by the locals as Crud by the way. Any flyer activity out here would be investigated."

"By who. I didn't think the federation had a foothold out here."

"They don't, officially. But there's bounty hunters and pirates, who would sell their own children to make a buck." Bevan replied.

"We've managed to build up a small base. But the feds are getting closer. We're going to have to move soon." Jenna added. "That's where I was going. To try and find a ship at a knock down price."

"Then I really did come back at the right time." Avon commented,

"You have a ship?" The other man spoke. Avon looked his way, the man looked down, "Umm, sorry, my na..na."

"This is Duncan." Dayna finished. "And you are one of his heroes." Avon looked at the young man again and saw that he was blushing.

"It's not, not like that." Duncan spluttered. He looked at Avon. "I grew up on Celcis 3. When the Andromedans tried to invade, you kept them away from our world. You saved me and my family."

"Is that why you joined Blake?"

"I didn't go out looking to be a rebel. I got a job as a deckhand on a freighter. The captain got on the wrong side of the feds, and I ended up here."

"And you?" Avon looked at Bevan. He shrugged.

"The feds took over my world, killed my family and tried to kill me. I'll not go into my grave until I've sent Servelan into hers."

"I understand, but there is a bit of a queue."

"And I'm at the front of it." Dayna reminded them.

They carried on walking, Tarrant was the first to break the silence.

"How did you survive Avon? Orac told us about the dampening field, and how you were hit by multiple blasts. He also told us that you took a dose of Dorien's special potion." Avon could feel all eyes on him. He sighed.

"Please, I'd really rather only tell the story once."

"We ran an analysis of that stuff, it was pure poison! The affects it would have had..."

"The effect it had increased my adrenaline levels by ten, but it also turned my blood into acidic jelly, putting my heart and lungs under terrific strain, my temperature increased to dangerous levels and my veins and arteries nearly exploded.."

"And you used a dose of this?" Jenna asked, her voice full of disbelief. He smirked.

"No, I used three."

"Three! Avon, how?" Dayna gasped.

"You don't tend to notice your blood boiling when you are trapped in a burning shuttle which is about to crash." He paused. "However, you are right Tarrant, Hell wasn't ready for me and it just happens that the planet I crashed into had an extremely advanced medical unit, and a population who hates everything the Federation stands for."

"So you managed to escape unscathed?" Tarrant questioned. Avon let out a harsh laugh.

"I wouldn't say unscathed." He reached up and loosened his collar and showed them the scarring on his neck and jaw. "There are marks. Some you can see, some you can't."

"Avon, I'm sorry." Dayna touched his arm softly. His next move surprised her because instead of recoiling from the touch as he might have done in the last year they were together, he took her hand and held it, giving it a gentle squeeze.

"It's alright. It's better than the alternative."

"We're there." Jenna pointed to a small collection of rough buildings ahead of them. To the untrained eye it would have looked like a small scrapyard, but Avon could see the lookouts and the defences, the power cables disguised as irrigation and the hidden movement sensors. As they approached, several figures stood to watch them, one ducked into a building and several more appeared from inside. Avon was focused on one in particular, the familiar burly figure hurried towards the party, Jenna sped towards the figure, still wearing the duster which Avon had given her. Avon smirked slightly as Blake folded her into an embrace which was a little bit more than friendly. He stopped walking, waiting for Jenna to fill Blake in on the situation, but he did notice that Dayna and Tarrant had stopped with him, one either side. Dayna was gripping onto his hand as though she was afraid he might disappear.

Blake was listening to Jenna, but Avon saw the man's broad shoulders stiffen and was suddenly aware of the intense brown eyes focusing on him. Those were the right eyes, the fire which had been missing from the doppleganger burned as intensely as it ever had. He could just about hear what Blake was saying;

"Are you sure?" The rebel was asking. Avon watched Jenna, she nodded and smiled.

"It's him. Something has changed in him, but it's definitely Avon." He watched as Blake walked closer. Avon took the disruptor from his belt and made sure everyone could see him hand it to Tarrant.

"Is that in case you feel the urge to shoot me again?"

"Well, that depends. Have you betrayed me?"

"A man who trusts can never be betrayed."

"Only mistaken." Avon finished. Blake broke into a broad grin.

"Avon! By the Gods, it's good to see you." Avon found himself enveloped into the second bear hug of the day, this one really did threaten to stop him breathing, he awkwardly returned the manhug.

"Avon!" Another voice broke the reunion, he stepped back and saw Soolin and Vila approach.

"You see, I told you, he's indestructible." Villa told the blonde gunfighter, as he rushed towards the group.

"Not quite." Avon corrected. He grasped the outstretched hand. "I really hope you have some soma or something hidden around here."

"Of course he has, though we can't find it." Soolin smiled. "I'm glad you survived."

"Oh, he's more than survived. Why don't you tell them Avon." Tarrant grinned, Avon smiled to himself.

"Vila, break out that Soma. Let's get somewhere dry and I'll explain."

/

About an hour later, they all sat huddled together in a small hut, the seven of them plus the other eleven rebels which formed Blake's group, including Duncan, Bevan and another that Avon recognised as the man from Gauda Prime, Hal Deva, a federation trained doctor who had turned his back on the Federation.

As Avon finished his story, he looked around at the stunned faces, he grinned at Jenna.

"See, I told you you'd love it."

"You mean to tell me that there is a ship in orbit, like the Liberator, but bigger, and there are other ships?" Blake asked in disbelief. His eyes sparkled with the possibilities running through his mind. Avon nodded. "And these..Viridians want to help us destroy the Federation?"

"They want to bring peace and freedom to the galaxy." Avon corrected, "And they realise that with the Federation in charge that will never happen. But Blake, I want your word on something. These people are not fighters, not revolutionaries. They have seen the cruelty of the Federation, but from a distance, and they have no idea what they are getting themselves into. Despite their advanced knowledge and technology, only nine are completely mature, the thirty three who were born after the plague got loose are only teenagers. If we are to accept their gift, I want your word that they will be protected from the worst of it." Avon leaned forward, an intense look on his features. Blake nodded, of all the people he had fought alongside, he had missed that look, the one which made him stop and really think about what he was doing.

"Can I ask a question?" A voice broke the tense moment. Everybody turned and looked at Deva who suddenly felt very self conscious. "Umm, I just wondered about the patrol, is it wise for us to be sat here, just waiting for...company?"

"Deva, as always you are quite right. We should get everything packed away..." Blake stood. Bevan stood as well.

"Why don't we see to that. I can see that you lot can't wait to see that ship of his. We'll get everything sorted down here, shouldn't take more than an hour." He nodded towards Jenna and Tarrant. "I think they're going to blow a gasket if they don't get their feet off the dirt soon." He laughed. Jenna huffed, but grinned, while Tarrant just shrugged. Avon stood. He pressed the button on the teleport band.

"Tolos, it's Avon. I'm safe and well and ready to come up. I need some teleport bracelets. And some transponders for the equipment."

"At once." Came the reply. "How many?"

"Seventeen bands, and ….I don't know, just bring a pack of transponders."

"I will be with you shortly." The line went quiet. Avon turned to the people collected around him.

"Remember, the Viridians are very different to us." He pointed out as a white shimmer signalled the arrival of the reptilian. As Tolos materialised he looked around nervously. Avon stepped forward and took the box he was holding, placing a hand on the alien's shoulder.

"Don't worry. Nobody here will harm you." He reassured the young Viridian.

"I give you my word." Blake stepped forward.

"Tolos, this is Roj Blake. Blake, meet Tolos, the Viridians resident expert on teleport systems." The young reptilian looked down slightly. He handed the box to Avon, who passed a bracelet to everyone. "These work in exactly the same way as the old ones, just press the button and the ship will respond. Put one of these transponders on any piece of cargo you want to transport."

He handed the box to Bevan who nodded. "When you are done, put on the bracelets and call." Bevan took the box.

"C'mon, lets get moving, I'm sick of rain. I wanna get off this rock." He gruffed. He and the other rebels left, leaving just the Liberator and Scorpio crews.

"Tolos, you go ahead. Then teleport us." Avon said. Tolos nodded and keyed his bracelet, as he disappeared, Avon grinned at the others. "This system has an automatic recall feature, you can ask the ship to bring you back up automatically by pressing the key twice on the bracelet."

"That would have been really useful." Vila agreed, Jenna laughed.

"For all we know, the old Liberator might have had the same system, we just never knew about it."

"That is very possible." Avon smirked. "Ready?"

"You have no idea how ready I am to get off this planet." Vila replied. Blake coughed.

"Avon. You've not even asked about Orac. I assume you are going to want him back." He asked, his voice serious. Avon paused.

"I sent it to you. I have no more claim to it than anyone else. Though if you have no objections, I do have a few ideas which will need Orac's particular abilities. I assumed that it would be amongst the equipment which Bevan is packing up."

"It will be. Bevan is one of the few who knows of Orac's value to our cause. But it is an integral part of our security, so I'd rather not take it until everyone is ready to leave."

"That seems fair enough, as I said, I sent it to you."

"Maybe, but that box of attitude is like a bull terrier, it only ever really had one master." Blake laughed.

"There will be plenty of time to retrain the mutt later, can we go please!" Villa interrupted. Tarrant snorted.

"You're very eager to take up the sword again."

"No, I'm very eager to get dry boots. I'm sick of being wet. And I do mean sick if I stay on this planet any longer. I don't have a very strong constitution."

"You don't have a strong anything!"

"Stop picking on him Del." Dayna slipped her arm through Tarrant's. Avon raised his eyebrows. Tarrant blushed.

"Nearly dying made me realise what's important." He explained, glancing at Dayna. Avon nodded.

"I actually understand that quite well. However, we can talk about it in more comfortable surroundings. Are you ready?"

"Absolutely." Blake replied. Avon keyed his bracelet.

"Tolos, bring us up." They all felt the familiar shimmer and appeared on the teleport platform.

"My god, It's just like the Liberator, but...more." Jenna gasped. Avon turned and took his bracelet off, putting it back on the rack. He looked at the assembled group in front of him, and couldn't help himself. He grinned.

"Welcome home."

/

This time they had made a difference. With the security of a base, and the fleet of ships, they soon built an army. What had once been a rebel opposition to a cruel regime, became a full blown civil war, with more and more planets and colonies claiming independence from the Federation, and allying themselves instead with Blake's newly formed Alliance of Free Planets.

Seven years in, the AFP was holding it's own against the Federation, so it was a complete shock when the Phoenix, a sister ship to the Liberator, limped back into the space dock, it's auto repair working overtime. Blake hurried to the ship as the crew were disembarking. He sighed at he saw three bodies being carried off by stretcher. He never got used to the deaths, but as they were now fighting a war, it was inevitable.

"Three casualties, two critically injured." A voice spoke at his side. Blake turned and noticed that the officer was young, and the green and grey uniform of the AFP looked I little too big. He nodded.

"Thank you. What happened? Where is Avon?" The Phoenix was Avon's ship, and Blake was starting to become worried. The young officer looked down.

"Sir, General Avon is one of the critically injured. He was transported directly to the med bay."

"What happened?" Blake gasped.

"The reports of the Feds secret weapon were correct, but they were further along the project than we realised. The Particle cannon was functional." Khorl, Avon's second approached from the craft. "They had it built onto a destroyer and we arrived just in time to see them test it on Corobos four.

"Corobos four? But they have declared themselves neutral, all of the Corobos colonies have..."

"That don't matter to the Feds." Bevan joined in from behind Khorl. "The bastards destroyed Corobos four, man woman and child, then they moved on to Corobos three. For the record, our battleships force walls can defend against the Particle cannon for about eleven minutes."

"General Avon put us between the weapon and the colony. The force wall lasted just long enough for their power to deplete. Then we destroyed the ship, weapon as well." Khorl added. Blake rubbed his hand over his eyes.

"The casualties?" He asked.

"Renner, when the shield failed, his ops panel exploded in his face. Tobias and Fel were both in the cargo bay when the hull was breached. They suffocated before we could get to them." Bevan looked down. "Avon and Decruz tried to get to them but as they worked on the door, feedback from the particle cannon got them both. Tolos transported them straight to Deva and Vash as soon as we were within range." The big burly man looked shaken. Blake put a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry. Why don't you get cleaned up..."

"No. It's fine. If it's alright with you I'd rather stay and help get the Phoenix sorted out. She took a bit of a battering, the auto repair will have it's hands full for a bit. Will you let me know how the boss and Decruz are?"

"I will."

"C'mon Khorl, lets get this bird flying again." Bevan and Khorl disappeared back into the ship, along with the teams of technicians. Blake hurried back to the teleport station and had himself transported to the surface. He was practically running as he got to the medical centre. He burst through the door and run up against Deva.

"Blake stop. Avon is in the regen tank, the feedback from the particle cannon caused a massive electrical surge through him and Angie."

"Will he be alright?"

"I don't know how, but it looks like he will make it."

"And Decruz?"

"She didn't make it. I'm sorry, but she was already dead before she got here."

Blake ran his hands through his hair.

"Damn! Damn!" He shouted into the air. Deva gave him a soft smile.

"They destroyed the Federation's super weapon and saved a colony. If you could ask any one of them, they wouldn't blame you." He paused as the door opened and Soolin rushed in.

"I heard what happened. Will he be okay?"

"He will. But we lost four..."

"Four who knew the risks when they joined us. We did what had to be done. Tarrant and Dayna have taken the defiant and have destroyed the Rocan development complex where the cannon was built. Nothing remains. Jenna and the Liberator are giving assistance to the remaining Corobos colonies, who have now pledged alliegance with us after the Federations destruction of their fourth colony. Vila is organising a cargo ship with supplies, with their ties to the Federation cut, the colonists will need some help to get on their feet."

"Do they know, about Avon."

"Yes. News travels fast. But they know that he's alive, and we all know how hard he is to kill." She smiled, but the smile was a weary, worried one. Blake put his arm around her shoulder, he had become very fond of the young gunfighter, as he had of Dayna and Tarrant. He noticed Vash approaching.

"Blake. Avon is awake. He is asking after his crew..." Vash glanced at Deva, "Should we tell him?"

"He'll keep asking. I'll tell him." Blake looked at the doorway. "He'll need to know."

/

"I can't do this anymore."

Avon sat in a low armchair, gazing out over the forest canopy which glowed silver in the moonlight. Blake sat opposite in a similar chair, sipping his drink and watching his friend. Avon had only been out of the med bay for a few hours, and he looked pale and drawn. Blake sighed.

"Avon, we could never have achieved all that we have without you. You gave us all of this, and for the first time, we are actually making a difference. But, I owe you a choice. If you decide you don't want to take command of the Phoenix anymore I understand..."

"No...I need to get away, just...I can't be what everybody wants me to be."

"Nobody expects..."

"But they do! Blake, I look around our army and it's full of wide eyed teenagers who want to be like their heroes, but Blake, I'm not a hero. You are, Tarrant is, and Dayna and Jenna, Soolin and even Vila. But I'm not. I fell into this, and I'm tired of them following me...and not coming back."

"Kerr..."

"Angie was nineteen! She followed me without question, and now she's dead!" Avon stood and started to pace. "Another face to add to all those others who haunt my dreams. I just need to go somewhere where nobody knows me...All this freedom that we are winning for the masses, I need to know what that feels like..."

"That's not the real reason though is it. We've known each other long enough for me to know when you are not telling me everything." Blake looked at his friend. Avon couldn't meet his gaze and dropped his eyes towards the floor. There was a moments silence before he heard Avon's quiet reply.

"She's come back."

"Who? Who's come back?"

"Cally. Cally is back in my dreams. Every night I hear her, her death and her accusations. She's there with all the others who's death I have been responsible for. It's just like before...before Gauda Prime.." He closed his eyes, letting out a shakey breath. "Do you know what she screamed?" He saw Blake shake his head. "She screamed your name. We had lived though all that, become so close to something special, but as she died, she called for you, not me. That hurts Blake."

"I imagine it must. I'm sorry.."

"It's not your fault. It's mine. I lost the Liberator, and got us marooned. She must have hated me so much at that moment...And now she haunts my dreams again, I find myself avoiding sleep altogether..."

"That's what made you make mistakes. Sleep deprivation is a Killer Avon..."

"I know. That's why I have to go. When I crashed here, and the Viridians took care of me, I stopped having the nightmares, I slept soundly for the first time since leaving Earth. I need to find that peace before I lose my mind again."

Avon watched as Blake sighed and looked at the floor.

"I'll agree, on one condition."

"Blake!"

"Please, hear me out. Take some time out, away from here, away from the fight. There are several colony systems which are neutral, I'm sure Orac can give you some options. My condition is that you stay in contact, don't be alone Avon. When you feel up to it, you will be welcomed back, this is your home, more than any of us. We won't tell the others yet, they'll try to talk you out of going, and it has to be your choice, not theirs."

"Thank you." Avon sighed and leaned back in his seat. Closing his eyes. Blake went to stand.

"I'll leave you to get some rest.."

"No, stay a while. Finish your drink..." Avon slipped into an exhausted sleep. Blake smiled. He stood and retrieved a blanket from the bed, draping it over the sleeping man. He drained his glass and made his way to the door.

"Sleep well my friend." He muttered as he left.

/

A month later, Avon sat on a barstool, a glass of ale at one hand and a dish of vegetable broth in front of him. He had been travelling for just over a week, after being dropped off at a neutral trading post, and had made his way to one of the most remote and ignored corners of the colonised galaxy. His thoughts wandered to the people he had left. Soolin, Dayna and Tarrant had all been surprised at his wish to get away, but they had wished him well and made him promise to let them know he was ok. Jenna had been more understanding, even giving him the names of a few of her contacts in case he should find himself stranded. They had shared a warm embrace before he left, much to the amusement of Blake.

"It's a good job your leaving, or we might have to dual." He had joked, which had earned him a slap on the arm from Jenna. They too had made him promise to stay in touch, and Blake had repeated his promise.

"Remember Avon. There will always be a place for you here, no matter how long you are gone."

It was Vila who had surprised him. He had been waiting as Avon had boarded the cargo transporter which was dropping him off. He had smiled and nodded towards the canvas bag Avon was carrying.

"You got Orac stuffed in there?" He joked. Avon smiled.

"No, you get the pleasure of dealing with that egotistical box. I want peace and quiet."

"I know." Vila's voice was full of meaning. He paused for a minute. "Avon, will you promise me something?"

"I know, stay in touch..."

"No. I mean it's not that I don't want you to stay in touch, but something else."

"Go on."

"Find someone."

"Who?" Avon asked, puzzled. Vila rolled his eyes.

"For a clever man, you can be an idiot..I don't mean a specific person, but you need somebody to be around."

"Vila, I'm not going out there to sleep with the female population of the galaxy.."

"No, that's my dream. Just don't isolate yourself, don't be alone for the sake of it. We've all notices how different you have been since Gauda Prime, much more like the old Avon, back just after we left the London. But without the coldness. Don't go back to being cold. Stay warm. There, that's what I'm asking. Stay warm."

Stay warm. Avon gave a small smile to himself, He was currently sat in a bar on a desert planet, and warm was definitely not a problem, in fact, judging by the way the two bar owners were bustling about, warm was becoming a real problem. He couldn't help but overhear the heated argument about the broken air conditioning. The Lady came back and started bustling about behind the bar. Avon shrugged, what the hell, there wasn't a ship off this rock for at least three days, he may as well make himself useful.

"You have a problem with your AC." He said. She looked up at him.

"Yes, sorry. I can get you another drink if yours has gotten warm." She offered apologetically. Avon shook his head.

"No, it's fine, I wasn't complaining. It's just that...fixing things is what I do. Would you like me to take a look?" He offered. She smiled at him.

"Sir, that is the best offer I've had in a long while. I'd be very grateful. My husband is not very technically minded."

It was only about an hour later that Avon sat back at the bar, enjoying the waves of cool air rushing from the vents.

"You are a saint." The woman put another drink in front of him. "We don't have much money but your stay here is on the house. Thank you."

"It was nothing. The safety circuits had shorted and was shutting the system down, it was a fairly simple fix." He replied. She smiled.

"I'm Riva. Are you on your way somewhere?" She asked, making conversation. Avon shook his head.

"Nowhere in particular. Just looking for a place where I can disappear." He said. She raised an eyebrow.

"In trouble?"

"No, nothing like that. Just tired."

"Well, If you're interested, the aircon isn't the only thing around here that needs fixing. We haven't had a tech for almost three years. We could do with someone like you."

"Does the federation come here much?" He asked. She grinned.

"Thought you said you weren't in trouble?"

"I'm not...much. Just don't fancy running into them." He confessed with a grin. She laughed.

"No, they don't come. Nothing to come for. That's the reason most of us chose to come here."

"I thought it was the fantastic views."

"I like you. I think you would fit right in." She laughed. "What's your name?"

"Kain. Val Kain."

/

Author's note. I had to completely we-write this chapter, as I lost all my saved stories, so if you can see any plot holes, please let me know and I'll try to re-surface them.


End file.
